Ryan Gosling To Make His Directorial Debut With How To Catch A Monster, Starring Christina Hendricks

Ryan Gosling has been an actor, a producer and even contributed to a couple of soundtracks, but now he's ready to take the next major step in his career: he's both grabbing a pen and getting ready to hop into the director's chair. The Oscar-nominated star is now prepping to both write and helm How To Catch A Monster, a project described as a fantasy noir and set to star Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks.

THR describes the film as a "modern day fairytale set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city." Hendricks will play a single mother named Billy who finds herself brought into a dark underworld while her teenage son discovers an underwater town. Gosling will also produce the film along with Marc Platt, Adam Siegell, Michel Litvak and David Lancaster. Bold Films will be financing the film and the project will be brought to month's Toronto International Film Festival in search of foreign buyers. Sierra/Affinity will be dealing with international sales and production is being planned for next spring.

In a press release about the film, Litvak is quoted saying, ""We have a tremendous amount of trust and confidence in Ryan, Christina, Marc and Adam, both personally and professionally. We responded immediately to Ryan's script, and look forward to nurturing the next phase of his career and continuing Bold's commitment to an artistically collaborative environment."

Gosling, of course, worked with Christina Hendricks in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. The actor will next be seen in Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond The Pines - which will be premiering at TIFF - while Hendrick's next big screen role will be will be alongside Elle Fanning and Annette Bening in Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa.